


FitzSimmons Snippets

by Anytha



Series: Head Canon Prompts [18]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Academy Era, Angst, Baby Fitzsimmons, But too scared to admit it, F/M, Fitz family, Fluff, S2 finale, S3 spoilers, SHIELD 616 | The Bus, fitzsimmons family, friends falling in love, headcanon series, mention of Will Daniels, pre-team
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-14
Updated: 2015-12-06
Packaged: 2018-04-20 19:59:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4800389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anytha/pseuds/Anytha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Six prompts for Tumblr's FS-Appreciation week to celebrate our adorable scientists. These little stories are all entwined with my Headcanon Series but can be read on their own. Mostly FitzSimmons' centric with the addition of their teammates and family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. From Two to Three

**Author's Note:**

> I have other WIPS but I couldn't resist and just had to write something for the FitzSimmons appreciation week. I'm hopeless, I know…
> 
> Not sure if I'll post all of these on the right day… but I'll try. :)
> 
> Anyway, here's the prompt for Day 1: Family.
> 
> Thanks to my Beta StarryDreamer01 who helped me edit this.

* * *

 

Leo was sure that he'd just closed his eyes and fallen asleep when he heard crying.

_ Again _ .

Bringing his arm up to shield his eyes, he groaned softly as he peered at the clock on the bedside table. He had to bite back another groan as he read the time:  _ 4:18 _ .

Yeah... He had just fallen asleep: it had been three thirty when he'd last checked.

The mattress dipped and the sheets shifted next to him before he had time to realise that he'd have to do something about the wailing human that was residing in the crib in their room.

“ I'll get her. Go to sleep.”

Leo blinked and sat up as Jemma padded to the crib by her side of the bed and picked up their crying infant daughter.

“ No, wai-” He wrestled with the sheets that he'd somehow tangled around his legs. “It's my turn to-”

“ Go to sleep, Leo.” His wife didn't even look at him as she walked to the door, cradling Kathleen and murmuring soothing words.

“ Jem-” She closed the door behind her before he could say anything. The sudden silence that filled the room was stifling and Leo felt his heart drop heavily.

God, he was an  _ idiot _ .

They'd both been barely sleeping lately: Kathleen was colicky and that meant that she was crying constantly at random hours. They'd taken turns to take care of her so that they wouldn't be too exhausted in the morning (even though they'd both woken up as soon as they’d heard her cry).

However, the restless days and nights coupled with impeding work for Coulson were slowly straining their resilience and patience.

They had snapped at each other yesterday; their exchanges in the lab had been biting words and harsh retorts rather than their usual bickering. Jemma came to the lab whenever she could -whenever Kathleen was asleep- but it was Leo that spent hours there, alone. She had made some rather acerbic comments on a file he'd filled out for her and he'd swallowed his stung retort and continued working.

He missed having Jemma with him although he knew that their daughter needed her more right now. He knew that she missed being in the lab too and might be frustrated; he didn't expect her to take it out on him, actually...

But despite all of that, last night, after having calmed Kathleen and flopping into bed, Leo had grumbled about his lack of sleep and being useless in the lab as she’d said. He hadn't noticed that Jemma was looking at him and had seen the mix of guilt and hurt dancing in her eyes before she turned around; he didn't have a chance to say anything...

He hadn't meant to upset her or make her feel as though it was her fault...

Knowing that sleep was the last thing he would do now, Leo got out of bed.

He had to fix this.

Leo slipped out of the room and walked down to the kitchen to make two cups of tea. It always helped soothe their nerves, especially if they had to talk...

He then carried them upstairs and walked to Kathleen's room -or her would-be room once she was old enough to sleep on her own. He peeked inside and saw Jemma slowly walking around the room, humming softly as she lulled their baby to sleep. He put the cups on the table near the door and looked at her carefully.

She looked exhausted with dark rings beneath her eyes as she cradled their daughter; yet he couldn't think of anyone more beautiful than her.

She was tired and frustrated, just like him. And she was probably just as terrified about how to be a parent like he was.

They had to help each other;  _ he  _ had to help her through all of this.

They were FitzSimmons; they had gone through too many things together -and apart- to let anything fracture their relationship. He loved her too much to allow that.

With that thought, as he watched his family, Leo approached Jemma as she stood by the window, swaying slightly. She must have seen his reflection in the glass because she froze for a moment and looked behind her shoulder, eyes uncertain.

He smiled at her and wrapped his arms around her waist, softly bringing her back against his chest without jostling the dozing baby in her arms.

“ Leo...” She whispered. “I thought you-”

“ I really couldn't sleep,” he said quietly and sighed as he buried his face against her neck. “I'm sorry, Jem.”

He felt her sink against him and relief flooded his body.

“ _ I'm  _ sorry.” Her tone was guilty. “I shouldn't have been so harsh with you.” She held Kathleen closer to her. “You're working twice as much and I shouldn't have-”

“ Jemma...” He stopped her, nuzzling her neck and leaving one small kiss on her skin softly. “We're both working a lot... but you're doing twice the work I do between Kathleen and the lab.”

He could feel her wanting to retort and disagree so he wrapped his arms tighter around her waist, bringing her closer to him. This sort of simple intimacy was something that they'd somewhat disregarded since their daughter's birth; they kissed, hugged and were together but they didn't spend time together as they did before. He realised that with their baby constantly needing their attention and their work, they just shoved their relationship in a corner, as something that they'd get to when they'd have time and weren't so exhausted.

“ Being parents is... challenging,” Jemma stated and he snorted slightly.

“ It's bloody hard and terrifying sometimes...” He snuggled her. “But we'll figure it out. As we always do.”

“ Together.” She leaned against him.

“ Together.” He held her closer.

“ We do have this terrible habit of bottling things up until we burst, don't we?” Jemma remarked softly after a few minutes of comfortable silence and looked at him with a teasing smile.

Leo smiled slightly and nodded. All of their past arguments and fights had occurred because they didn’t tell each other everything.

“ We really never learn,” he agreed. “Some geniuses we are...”

“ I'm sorry,” Jemma turned slightly, carefully holding their baby against her chest. Leo pressed his lips against her temple.

“ I'm sorry, too,” he whispered.

“ I think we're still getting used to being a family.” Jemma ran a hand down their baby's back. “It did take us a bit to get used to having each other around in the past and with her here now, it's-”

“ -a big change,” he finished. “I just wish I'd know what to do half of the times I hold her.”

“ You're doing brilliantly, don't worry.” He noticed how her smile wavered slightly and felt a spike of concern.

“ Jem?”

“ I feel as though I'm not doing enough,” she confessed, looking at the sleeping baby in her arms. “She's in pain and she's... she's  _ so  _ small. I should be able to do something to make her feel better.”

Leo shook his head and held her close. The healer in her would always want to do something to make the pain go away from anyone; now that she was also a mother, that instinct just got a hundred times stronger.

And with their daughter being in pain? Every thought was directed to her.

“ You're doing everything and more, Jemma,” he replied. “I hate hearing her cry and want to ease her pain but we can't really do anything more than what we're doing.” He moved a hand up and gently caressed their daughter's hair. “She's adjusting... She's just a month old and everything's just so new to her.”

“ I know... Mum told me.”

“ So did my mum and Alison.”

Their families came to their house whenever they could to dote on the baby or to try to soothe their terrified-new-parents' nerves.

Jemma looked at him and smiled.

“ We should put her back to bed,” she said. “And we should get a bit of sleep too.”

Leo nodded and unraveled his arms from around her. He followed her to their room with their cups of tea and watched as she put Kathleen in the crib, smiling softly.

When he handed her the cup, she smiled again.

“ Thank you, sweetheart” she whispered and brushed a kiss against his lips. He grinned and they sat on their bed, side by side, drinking their tea and talking softly as they’ve done so many times.

When they finally got into bed, Jemma curled against him and Leo held her tight, feeling lighter than a few hours before.

“ We'll make everything work together, Leo, right?” Jemma whispered against his jaw.

“ Yes, Jemma...” He replied. “Everything will be fine.”

She hummed softly and fell asleep against him while he drifted off, lulled by her warmth and scent.

  
  


They'd learn to be parents and be a family.

Together as always.

 


	2. The Beginning of their Adventure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the prompt for Day 2: Adventure. Have a little Pre-Bus FitzSimmons.
> 
> Thanks to my Beta StarryDreamer01 who helped me edit this.

* * *

“Will you stop looking so grumpy?

“I am not grumpy.”

“You are...”

“ Am  _ not _ !”

  
Fitz scoffed and stabbed the meat on his plate with more force than necessary. Jemma rolled her eyes and ate her lunch in a milder manner.

They were sitting at their usual table in the small café next to their lab. It was Monday and they always started their week having lunch there rather than in the Sci-Ops lounge room/cafeteria. It had become habit for them.

Jemma glanced at her partner who was still looking rather glum and wondered if he felt as though this routine they had was a bit stifling.

She didn't  _ dislike  _ it actually. She liked her job at Sci-Ops, loved working with her best friend and living together in their apartment in Boston.

But after seeing the events that had occurred in New York less than a year ago with the Avengers fighting Loki, Jemma had a restless feeling.

It fueled her desire to go out and do fieldwork.

Months ago, that same (yet not so strong) feeling had made her convince Fitz to take the field exam with her so that they could still work together. She'd never leave him behind: she couldn't bear the thought.

However, their examination had gone royally bad. They had both failed for the first time in their lives and it left Jemma feeling unaccomplished.

Fitz, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind staying where they were. He was doubtful of going into the field in the first place, fully aware of all the risks that it could cost them (and not fully realising how much they could gain). And the Battle of New York seemed to cement his thoughts that leaving their lab was a terrible idea.

He'd accepted to go to the field and take the exam but now that they were truly offered the chance, would he still do it? She didn't know and this made her nervous.

 

All of this made their fast approaching meeting all the more difficult...

 

Jemma looked up only to find Fitz looking at her with a serious gaze. She smiled slightly as she took a sip of water and felt her body relax when his eyes softened.

“So... Aren't you excited?” Jemma asked, trying to be nonchalant. Fitz snorted.

“ Me? What about  _ you _ ?” He teased, wiping his mouth with his napkin. “Isn't Maria Hill on your list of Inspiring Woman in SHIELD that you'd want to meet?”

Jemma blushed and fought against the urge to toss her napkin at him. She kicked him under the table instead, making him yelp.

“ _ Ow!  _ What was that for?! It's the truth!”

“Yes and you have no reason to tease me about it!” Alright, she admired SHIELD's Deputy Director: so what?

“Why did you kick me?” Fitz rubbed his leg under the table.

“Because you're a prat!” She very maturely stuck her tongue at him and laughed when he scoffed and then grinned at her.

They were back to their old relationship where they could bicker, tease each other and feel at ease. They still had moments when a touch or a look made an awkward silence fall between them but it didn't happen often. Jemma had learned to reign in her confused feelings and keep a straight face despite her racing heart. It didn't matter though: she had her best friend at her side and everything was fine.

And she  _ didn't  _ want to lose this...

“Hmm...So...” Jemma cleared her voice slightly and Fitz looked at her. “Have you decided what to say once we're offered-”

“-a position in the field team?” He finished quietly. She saw the way his eyes clouded slightly and she felt her heart lurch. “Well... Maybe.” Her heart pounded. “You?”

He knew her answer. They had spent the last few nights and afternoons talking about it.

They'd been talking about this ever since they'd received two identical sealed envelopes from an agent called Melinda May who worked in the Administration department at the Triskellion.

It was an official letter saying that they'd been chosen to join a elite team that would be working with a Level 8 agent and would be travelling around the world. Deputy Director Hill wanted to meet them to talk about the whole ordeal.

Jemma was elated. They'd been both promoted to Level 5 and the offer had come immediately after; it seemed as though someone had been waiting for them...

And yet Fitz was doubtful...

"I think it would be the perfect opportunity to see the world," she remarked. "You know, we'd be fools to give this up. It's a great chance for us."

"Even though we might be in danger?" He looked sceptical.

"We'd be in the lab, Fitz."  _ Did he really think that they'd be shoved into a mission without preparation? _ "And there will be other agents: trained specialists from Operations.."

She couldn't recognise the emotion that suddenly clouded his eyes. It looked almost as though he was upset that someone else would be there to help them. She was about to ask more when Fitz called the waiter, asking for the check. Apparently, they were almost due for their meeting and she hadn't realised it.

They quickly paid and left to go to Sci-Ops ' airbase. It was a rather odd location for a meeting -she'd expected a more formal venue- but Jemma realised that Deputy Director Hill might be really busy and had cut out a small amount of time to see them.

The concern and nervousness that she'd been feeling at the thought of Fitz not wanting to accept the offer was slightly overtaken by the giddiness of meeting Maria Hill and talking to her about their opportunity to be on a field team.

Jemma looked at her side after a few moments of silence and found Fitz staring at her with a small smile. She blushed and bumped his shoulder with hers.

“Don't look at me like that,” she said. “I know that I look ridiculous but... do you even know how hard it is to find a woman in a relevant position here in SHIELD? There are very few: Victoria Hand and Maria Hill, Agent Romanoff in the Avengers... and Peggy Carter back when she founded SHIELD...” Jemma couldn't help but sigh. “It's a pity that most agents don't even recognise their true value and-”

“I do,” he retorted. “I've known you for long enough to know that women can be way better and smarter than men.”

Jemma ignored the way her heart skipped a beat and stared at him, smiling broadly and feeling enormously pleased. Fitz rubbed the back of his neck and looked forward, blushing slightly.

They arrived at the airbase shortly after and an operations agent led them inside the furthest hangar. Once inside, Jemma's mouth almost dropped open at the sight of an enormous plane.

“What the hell-?” Jemma turned and saw Fitz staring at the vehicle with wide eyes. He didn't look stunned like she was; more like shocked and impressed.

“What?” She asked. He turned to her.

“I know this plane!” He exclaimed and she cocked her head to a side, puzzled.

“ _ What? _ ”

“Remember when I was called to help create a cloaking device?”

“Yes, wasn't it-..?”

“-last year, yes! I saw the schematics for this plane and had to make a few adjustments as well. It's a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III: completely modified from the looks of it...” Fitz started walking down one side of the plane, studying it and Jemma trotted by his side, listening to him list all of the features. She failed to hide a smile at his enthusiasm.

“Do you think that it will be used for a mission?” She asked. “It might be heavily equipped with-”

“-weapons and has many offensive abilities,” Fitz agreed. “I think-”

 

“ _ That's SHIELD 6-1-6.” _

 

FitzSimmons turned as one and found themselves face to face with Maria Hill.

“SHIELD 6-1-6?” Jemma repeated and she flushed realising that this wasn’t the first thing that she would have wanted to say to Maria Hill.

The woman in question nodded, smiling slightly.

“Yes, that is its name,” she replied. “Officially, it's called Airborne Mobile Command Station, but some call it the Bus."

“ _ Bus? _ ”  Fitz repeated, staring at the enormous vehicle. Jemma was just as sceptical:  _ that  _ had nothing to do with a bus.

“It’s still in the works but you’ll get to know it well, FitzSimmons,” Deputy Director Hill looked at both of them. “This will be your base and commanding centre.”

Jemma blinked. They’d be stationed on a plane? On  _ this  _ plane? They’d be on a - _ literally _ \- mobile team? The thought alone made her shiver in anticipation and she turned to Fitz and was elated to see him look excited too.

Maybe he'd be convinced...

“Follow me.” Maria Hill started walking towards a room at the end of the hangar and they walked after her.

“I told you that it wouldn't be so bad,” Jemma whispered, leaning towards her partner.

He rolled his eyes.

“Alright, it might not be all dangerous...” He admitted. “The plane's really awesome.”

“Think of how the lab must be.”

“According to the schematics, there was a large space by the cargo ramp and the motor room: it would make a great lab space.” Fitz grinned at her and Jemma felt a smile make its way on her face too.

“With the best equipment and utensils,” she mused and he nodded. “And we'd get to see the world.”

“It would be... nice. And we'd get to see the world and places we don't know.” Jemma looked at him and he stared back before nodding slightly with a smile. Jemma felt her heart burst with happiness.

They didn't realise that they’d walked into a small room where a man was standing with his back to them. Before either could ask a question, Agent Hill gestured to him.

“That would be your supervising officer,” she remarked airily and folded her arms.

When Agent Phil Coulson -a very  _ not dead  _ Agent Coulson- turned around and smiled, FitzSimmons were too stunned to speak.

But after a minute the barrage of questions started and it took the dual effort of the other two agents to keep them at bay.

  
  


-:-

  
  


As they headed back home, that evening, Jemma couldn't help but think about everything that had happened. They were going to join Agent Coulson's team.

_ He  _ wanted  _ them _ .

Pride mixed with elation coursed through her body. But she was most of all so, so glad that Fitz had accepted the offer along with her and hadn't decided to stay behind or make her choose what to do.

They'd see the world together and do something good.

  
  


They'd leave together for this new adventure and nothing would stop them.

 


	3. His First and Last Thought

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Real life got in the way and while I know that I'll write all the prompt, I have no clue when they'll be posted. I'll try my best though to be fast.. :)  
> Here's the prompt for Day 3: Firsts/Lasts. And... this one is angsty: S2-finale angsty.
> 
> Thanks to my Beta StarryDreamer01 who helped me edit this.

* * *

_ Fitz was sitting in the lounge going through some webpages on his tablet, reading reviews about restaurants nearby and wondering if he could coax Coulson to let him use the SUV (or Lola but that was some awfully wishful thinking) when a siren blared throughout the base. _

_ He was on his feet immediately, alert and panicked altogether and wondered what was going on. _

_ They had  _ _** just  ** _ _ fought the Inhumans and were still recovering: what the hell had happened again? Didn't they deserve a bloody break? _

_ He saw some of the lab techs and some unknown agent trot towards the exit. He put his tablet away, swiftly saving the pages for later and walked to the door, craning his neck to see someone familiar and ask what was going on. Only a handful of his teammates were at the Playground at the moment: May was on leave (a rare event, it seemed), Skye was out for some mission that no one but Coulson knew about (but Fitz thought that it also helped her to stop thinking about her lost parents) and Hunter and Bobbi were at a SHIELD medical facility to help the blonde specialist recover from her injuries. _

_ Fitz reached for his phone and texted Jemma, telling her to meet him so that they could figure out what was happening. In that way, they'd be together if something went wrong (again) and, in the best of cases, they'd prepare for their dinner. _

 

_ It was be the first time that he'd officially asked her out. _

 

_ They'd gone out together countless times before but this was the first - _ _** first ** _ _ \- time that he'd asked her to go out with him. As a couple... _

_ Despite being together for almost a year, he'd never had a chance to do it. It was the perfect occasion. They were both safe and together; they'd gone through a rough path of misunderstandings and fear and had overcome it, knowing that they were still in love with each other. _

_ This date would be their first taste of normalcy after months. _

_ He just hoped that he hadn't made a fool of himself when he'd stumbled on his words in his poor attempt to be suave and self-assured. _

_ Jemma had smiled; she'd shot him the same soft smile that had made him hope that the pretty fifteen year old girl that he'd met in London would be different and talk to him. _

_ She became his  _ _** first  ** _ _ friend. His best friend. And then his partner and other half in more than a way. _

_ She became the first girl he noticed and liked. The first (and only, now he knew that) girl he'd truly fallen in love with. _

_ Fitz couldn't wipe the smile on his face as he looked at his phone, expecting Jemma's answer any minute. _

“ _ Turbo!” He looked up as Mack's booming voice echoed through the bustling hallway. He was standing and, Fitz noticed, he looked troubled. _

_ Dread shot through him and he hurried towards his friend, quickly pocketing his phone. _

“ _ Mack?” He asked. “What's going on?” _

“ _ Come with me,” the other man's tone was firm but strangely soft. _

“ _ Where?” Fitz had to jog to keep up with Mack's long and hurried strides. “What's happening?” _

_ He didn't reply and the engineer wondered if something had gone very wrong. Could it be another attack? Could there be some rogue Inhumans coming after them? Or, perhaps, was it Hydra? _

_ Without realising it, Fitz took his phone out again and called Jemma. He heard it ring once when they walked past the lab; twice when they came to the hall that led to the chambers. But she didn't answer. _

_ He didn't want to overthink... _

_ She’d probably left her phone in her lab coat or it was hidden under tons of paperwork and notes.  _

**_ Right? _ **

_ He was going to tell Mack to wait a moment so that he could run down the corridor to the Kree rock room and drag his girlfriend out, allowing his mind to be in peace with her by his side when he saw Billy Koenig in front of that room; he was putting some bright yellow tape on its door. _

 

_ He was sealing the room. _

 

_ What the-? _

 

“ _ Hey!” Fitz exclaimed, sprinting forward. “What are you doing? There's Je-” _

“ _ I can't allow anyone in here,” Koenig replied. “Director's orders.” Fitz blinked as he saw something close to pity in the shorter man's eyes and felt a trickle of dread down his spine. _

“ _ Come with me, Fitz.” Mack’s larger hand fell on his shoulder and pushed him slightly towards the meeting room. _

“ _ Mack? What is happening?” Fitz asked, ignoring the way his heart thumped in his chest while failing to stop walking as his bigger friend forced him to move. Something was really wrong. “Did you find something about the rock? Is it more dangerous than we'd assumed?” A sudden thought crossed his mind. “Did Jemma find something?” _

“ _ Fitz...” _

“ _ Is she alright?” Fitz stopped and looked up at Mack. The taller man had a look that he couldn’t identify. Panic started to course through his veins, along with dread “Mack, is she with Coulson?  _ _** Is Jemma alright? ** _ ”

“ _ I-” _

 

“ _ Fitz, come in here.” _

 

_ Both men turned around and saw Director Coulson standing by the meeting room. Fitz dashed inside and looked around. There was only Agent Weaver and she was deadly pale. _

 

_ Jemma wasn't there. _

 

_ Something froze inside his chest. _

 

“ _ Sir?” The engineer looked at his commanding officer and the man stared at him with solemn eyes. Fitz was sure that he must have looked pleading because the older man was shooting him a pitiful stare. _

“ _ There's no simple way to say it so....I'm going to be blunt.” Coulson sighed softly and  turned around, taking a small remote from the table and pressed a button, making one of the screens in front of him come to life. _

_ Fitz saw that it was the base's security feed from the Kree rock's room. He saw himself and Jemma and felt something coil in his stomach when he saw how he stumbled against the glass case sealing the rock as he talked to her; he didn't hear the words though since the feed was mute. _

_ He saw Jemma smile and speak and then he saw himself leave the room after smiling at her. Jemma was alone now and she quickly put away the equipment with a smile on her face. Fitz felt a wave of tenderness at the happiness shining in her eyes: he'd made her look like that... _

_ Then she noticed something on the case, got closer and touched the glass. _

_ The door was open. _

_ And then... The rock liquefied and forced the door open, pushing her harshly to the ground. _

“ _ No!” Fitz reached forward, almost attempting to stop what was occurring on screen. “ _ _** No ** _ _ !” Jemma looked terrified and clawed the floor to stop the.. thing from grabbing her but it didn't work. _

_ Fitz felt the whole world turn silent, blood rushing in his ears as he saw Jemma being literally swallowed by the Kree monolith and disappear inside it. _

_ He waited for a minute, hoping that it would melt back down and spit her out; or for her to somehow come out. But she didn't. _

 

“ _Simmons was taken by the Kree rock.”_

 

_ For a few moments, Fitz just stared without realising that someone had spoken. Then his brain started putting the words together with the images he just saw but... it didn't make sense. The concept of Jemma being taken...  _ _** by a rock? ** _

_ Were they all pulling a prank at him? Was Jemma going to jump out of some hidden spot and then they'd all laugh at him? _

_ But then he watched  their faces and knew that it was all true. _

 

_ No, no, no, no... _

 

“ _** Jemma ** _ _ !” _

 

_ Fitz dashed out of the room. _

 

_ He had to save her. _

 

“ _ Fitz, stop!” He heard Coulson's order but ignored it.  _ _** Stop ** _ _ ? Didn't he  _ _** see ** _ _ that video as well? Jemma was trapped: he had to save her. _

“ _ Turbo, you can't go in there!” It was Mack that stopped him; he stood in front of him and blocked his way. Fitz tried to get past him with his arms and shoulders but the other man restrained him. _

“ _ Jemma's in there!” Fitz shouted, trying to free himself and get to the door. “ _ _** She's in there ** _ _ ! We have to get her out!” _

“ _ We don't know what's in there right now!” Mack retorted. “We can't let anyone inside until we-” _

“ _ I don't care! Let me  _ _** go ** _ _ !” Fitz used all his strength and desperation to push Mack away, making him stumble slightly. “I have to get to-” He felt a prickling pain at his shoulder and then felt numb. _

_ He didn't know who used the ICER on him but as his vision blacked out, his mind could only think of one thought that drowned him in desperation. _

 

_** Jemma was gone. ** _

 

-:-

Fitz woke up with a start and gasped as he sat up. He'd almost expected soft hands and the scent of lavender to envelope him, murmuring soothing words to calm him as they'd done countless times.

But he was alone now. He was in the lab and had fallen asleep while working on...

Fitz' eyes wandered at his computer's screen; schematics were floating around on the numerous windows along with files filled with calculations. Scattered on the table were open notebooks filled with his slightly more messy and scribbled hand writing: there were more calculations and longer and more complicated equations.

His dream - _ his nightmare _ \- came back to his mind. He'd been reliving that moment every night whenever his body would require some rest and he'd fall asleep.

It had been almost two months and he didn't know anything yet. He was currently working on a new attempt but he couldn’t help but think that all of this could just be theoretical speculation that wouldn't take him anywhere. Again.

 

He might not be able to find her.

 

He promptly ignored that little voice in his head.

The rest of the Team had given up, but he hadn't. Even Skye had sort of diminished her attempts to help him. He knew that she was suffering as much as him and that letting go was easier for her grief.

 

But he couldn't do it.

 

He would never give up.

 

Jemma was out there... somewhere. He'd find her.

 

Fitz stood up, rubbing his hands against his face, trying to wipe the exhaustion away.

 

He wanted to hear her voice again.

 

He wanted to see her face.

 

Tears started to well in his eyes as he was filled with memories of Jemma and his own love for her choked him.

 

He wanted to see her eyes shine with emotions: love, pride, happiness. Anything other than the sheer terror that he saw in the video that he kept replaying everyday.

He wanted to see her smile and look happy as the moment before she was taken; the way she looked when they woke up that morning and had breakfast together; the way she looked when she was in the lab. He wanted to see the smile that lit her face when she was with him.

Fitz angrily brushed the moist from his eyes and looked at this notes.

 

He'd find her.

 

He didn't want to think that his last memory of her was of that day.

 

He  _ would  _ find a way to bring her back.

 

Whatever it took.

 

Jemma Simmons was his first and only priority. 

His first and last thought of the day.

Nothing else mattered.

 


	4. Little shenanigans in the making.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Or how Jemma Simmons gets payback for Fitz in her unique way…)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the prompt for Day 4: Satisfaction. Have some Academy FitzSimmons. ;)  
> I honestly have no clue where this came from...
> 
> Thanks to my Beta StarryDreamer01 who helped me edit this.

* * *

Jemma was walking back to her dorm room after an evening spent with Fitz studying for their session of exams at the Academy.

She was tired and longed to take a shower before collapsing in bed and yet she couldn't stop the giddiness coursing through her. She and Fitz had the plan to graduate early: they'd carefully scheduled their lessons and lectures so that by the start of the new year they'd be starting their senior year classes.

It was a rather ambitious plan but she knew that they could do it. They had both realised that the first year classes were too easy for them: they had covered a good part of them during their doctorates.

They'd done some research, gone through all the years' syllabuses and checked all the rules: they could take as many exams as they wanted.

They'd start with the first year exams (the easiest) in the autumn session and put in a few of the second year as well. They had been reviewing after classes in the past few weeks and Jemma was sure that they'd do well. After studying and preparing for exams at MIT, she knew that they wouldn't fail.

The happiness she felt was mostly caused by the familiar routine. She and Fitz had drifted apart since they'd come to the Academy: the acknowledgement of having non -platonic feelings for each other and stepping back from them had cast an awkward tension to their interactions. And being put in two separate dorms hadn't helped either.

Jemma had gone through weeks of being by Fitz' side during classes and breaks but felt far away from him. Every word and accidental touch seemed to make him tense or move away and it made her heart ache because it looked as though their entire relationship was jeopardized.

Things were slightly better now: they had reached a sort of balance and they were slowly getting back to be what they were before.

Jemma sighed softly when she realised that nothing could ever bring back what they were before. It would mean forgetting about the kiss they had shared and the way they had looked at each other before stumbling away; it would mean ignoring the way her heart would skip a beat when Fitz touched her or looked at her.

She was trying to deal with these confused emotions, trying to see him as her best friend and nothing more but... it was not easy. She kept seeing Leo, the boy she grew up with in uni and that had become her first and best friend and that had slowly crept into her heart in ways that she couldn't imagine.

Now, she had to find a way to see him as Fitz, who was still the boy she grew up with and was her best friend... and nothing more.

It was hard but she was working on it. She couldn't think of losing him...

Jemma was almost at the corridor leading to her room when she caught movement in front of her. A few cadets were talking with their rooms' doors open and she recognised them as  girls from the Advanced Molecular Biology class that she'd decided to stop following despite it being a second year class; she'd agreed with the professor to just do the exam since she'd covered most of the subject during her first doctorate.

She smiled politely as she walked past them.

“Hey, Simmons,” they greeted her and she smiled in return.

Being here at the Academy was a bit odd really... Everyone was older than her -as always- but they accepted her being there. They all knew that she was intelligent and that  _ they _ -both her and Fitz- were worthy to be there.

 

“Hey, sorry, I'm late!”

 

Jemma was entering her room when another person appeared in the corridor and something coiled in her stomach when she recognised the voice.

_ Amy Carver. _

“Oh, hey, Simmons,” the brunette said off-handedly as she saw her, and Jemma smiled and waved before closing the door behind her as quickly as she could.

Something hot was bubbling in the pit of her belly as she thought of the older cadet whom she could hear talking just outside of her door with her friends. Jemma stood with her back to the door and sighed.

There was nothing wrong with Amy, really... She was a twenty-three years old young woman with black hair, dark brown eyes and charming personality; a second year biology cadet who was quite bright and got decent grades.

A girl who’d taken an interest on Fitz, had asked Jemma countless questions about him and had asked him out.

They’d gone on a lunch date yesterday.

And Fitz hadn't told her anything about it. Not that she had asked anyway...

She hadn't mentioned anything to him about her coffee date with Tyron Wells a few days. It had been...awkward and she had talked too much but the older boy had been pleasant though slightly confused by her rambling. He had leant forward, when they were saying goodbye, and Jemma was sure that he was going to kiss her. She had stepped back quickly and waved before hurrying away.

Jemma tried to ignore the way her heart clenched in her chest when she thought about her best friend going out with some girl - _ any  _ girl that wasn't her- and facing a similar situation.

He might kiss another girl, smile and laugh with her and do so much more. Jemma's mind conjured a rather vivid image of  _ her  _ doing all of those things with him and she had to push them to a corner of her mind.

There was also a rational voice in her head that was telling her that this was good; they'd realise that they were just friend it would make their relationship go back to normal.

Her heart didn't seem to concur though...

Shaking her head in an attempt to get rid of these very confused thoughts, Jemma moved forward only to realise that a bit of her bag's strap was stuck in the closed door. Sighing again, she opened the door slightly, just enough to pull the thin strip of leather when she heard a piece of dialogue.

  
  


“ He's cute and has this sort of nice accent but...  _ God _ , he just talked about... _ classes. _ ”

“Seriously?”

“ Yeah! I thought he just needed an icebreaker to relax -he was so nervous and I found it cute at first; he also brought me a small bouquet of flowers and was blushing all the time... but then-” Jemma heard the other girls giggle. “But then he just went on rambling about mechanics and stuff. And  _ monkeys _ of all things...”

“God, what a nerd.”

“I honestly wonder how Simmons deals with him everyday.”

 

Jemma froze when her name was mentioned and didn't dare to move. The niggling suspicion that Carver and her friends were talking about Fitz solidified in her mind.

What did she even mean by  _ how she dealt with him _ ? Fitz was her best friend! He was the best person she knew. And the smartest and most interesting to boot.

How could she-?

Words trailed into her room stopping her stream of thoughts.

“So you won't see him again, will you?” Jemma plastered herself to the door and listened carefully as Amy's friend, Cynthia talked.

“ No, don't think so,” Amy drawled. “Cute and nice accent isn't enough to counterboring... Although... too bad, he did have some  _ really  _ nice hands.”

The older girls laughed and Jemma bit her lip, knowing that there was more than a suggestive reason for that comment. And she didn't need  _ that  _ image in her head: it was hard enough to be around Fitz without further distractions.

Something coiled in her stomach as she heard more dismissive remarks about her best friend and the other girls laughed. For the first time in her life, Jemma felt raw anger in her: she hadn't felt like that even when she had been bullied at school.

She recalled how Fitz had looked slightly subdued when they had met for dinner yesterday. His smile was a little more strained and they had studied without any of his sudden quips and comments and he'd shrugged her concern, saying that he was tired. She suddenly realised that he had been embarrassed, probably confused and might have wanted to talk about it... but he hadn't.

Jemma slowly closed the door of her room, being careful not to make a sound and sighed, leaning against the wooden surface.

She hadn't said a word to Fitz about her own date because she didn't know how to talk to him about it. They were slowly falling back into their old dynamics and she really didn't want to disrupt it by talking about relationships.

It was too early for that.

She hoped that they'd come to a point in the future where they'd feel comfortable to talk about that but not now. Her heart was a messy place filled with confused feelings and she was sure that Fitz' was in the same state.

Another round of laughter reached her ears and a wave of anger coursed through her.

Despite everything, however, she wouldn't allow some older girl to be so dismissive of her best friend like that; he wouldn't allow her to talk about him as though he was some fool. He had tried to be attentive on his date and to be sweet and he didn't deserve to be ridiculed.

There was a small part of Jemma that wanted to march out door and give the girls a piece of her mind, but the more rational part stopped her.

She and Fitz were always together and, more than once, they'd been reprimanded for fraternization despite their protests. She could imagine what people would say if she shouted at Amy and what rumours would start to spread...

She couldn't help but see the irony that they were doing  _ everything  _ to  _ not  _ be that close to each other.

So lashing out was out of order.

Not that it would have been easy for her, giving her character, but they were talking like that about Fitz and-

Another hot wave of anger went through her.

Jemma walked to her desk and dropped her bag on it before sitting on her chair. What could she do?

She absentmindedly stared at the line of books on her shelf and her eyes fell on the heavy tome of Advanced Molecular Biology: it was slightly covered in dust.

She had stopped going to the class after she and Fitz had planned to graduate early and they'd started taking more advanced classes. She had talked with Professor Mason and he had agreed to allow her to take the exam without going to the lectures. She had been planning to revise on her notes alone, fully sure that they'd be enough.

A small idea popped in Jemma's mind and she got up to take the book, blowing the dust away.

Professor Mason usually liked to give a list of questions on his exams but didn't want an answer to all of them; an acceptable grade could be achieved by answering at a little more than half. Jemma had heard most of the class say that they'd study less on the exam and just answer the right amount of questions; the mere thought appalled Jemma but she had heard that no one had ever answered  _ all  _ of the exam's questions.

_ But  _ she distinctly remembered Amy and her friends talking about that exam and calculating how many questions they'd need to get right to pass.  She’d heard them complain about the enormous amount of things to study and the outrageous number of exams. It didn’t seem that much to Jemma...

_ And  _ Professor Mason graded on the Bell curve.

Jemma bit her lip, knowing that what she was planning was completely out of character for her but-

She heard laughter outside her door and her resolve hardened. Without further ado, she put the book on her table and retrieved her old notebooks from her drawer.

It was time for some payback for Fitz.

She just had to plan the whole operation in its detail...

-:-

A week later, the cadets at Sci-Tech were all busy with their exams and so were FitzSimmons.

The two studied together day and night and did exceedingly well in their written examinations; the name FitzSimmons was heard throughout the hallways more and more often, followed by an exclamation of awe or -sometimes- envy.

Jemma was leaving the room from where she'd just finished her Advanced Molecular Biology exam: she was the last to leave and she couldn't help but feel a bit jittery.

If things went as she'd planned...

“Hey, Simmons.” She looked up and smiled when she saw Fitz standing by the door leading to the exit.

“Hi, Fitz,” she replied and he smiled back. “How did Aerodynamics go?”

“Fine,” He shrugged as though it wasn't much. “It wasn't hard.”

“Is there any subject that you think is hard?”

He rolled his eyes at her teasing and she bumped his shoulder with hers. They walked in silence down the lane and Jemma glanced at him, surprised to find him staring.

“W-what?” She asked, self-consciously tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Nothing,” he replied quickly, looking straight ahead of him. She saw him move his hands at his sides, fingers tapping on his thigh in a nervous trait she was quite accustomed to.

“Fitz...” she said slowly, looking at him intently and he stared at her, blue eyes uncertain. She had to ignore the way her heart skipped a beat.

“Hmm... Are you-I mean...Is-” He cleared his throat. “Is it still alright for you to watch a film in my room this evening and then eat something? You know, to relax a bit since we've already studied for tomorrow's exams.” He looked at her with a small smile. “Like...we agreed yesterday?”

Jemma blinked.

Yesterday, after an afternoon in the library, Fitz had suggested the same thing and she had refused. He had looked a bit bewildered that she'd wanted to revise so in depth for an exam that she could probably do blindfolded. She'd come up with a valid reason for studying so late that wasn't her secret plan and she'd rambled on for a bit about being overly sure and getting lesser grades.

She remembered that he'd looked hurt for a moment before smiling and teasing about loving homework more than life itself.

Apparently, he'd taken her refusal more personally than she'd thought and she'd accidentally hurt him. Jemma had to make things right.

“Of course!” She exclaimed, making his eyes widen slightly. “I... I was just too worried about this exam and it wasn't really necessary to study so much.” She heaved a sigh and looked at him wryly. “We might as well have spent the evening together: it would have been a lot better than going through my notes.”

Fitz grinned, uncertainty gone from his eyes and she couldn't help but laugh and whack his arm in mock-anger when he teased her. The rush of happiness that went through her seeing him like his made her realise just how much she cared for him and how she didn't want to create any other rifts their relationship.

He was her best friend and she'd do anything to look out for him.

-

 

When the exam's results came out, there was a bit of an uproar.

Everyone knew about FitzSimmons: the two youngest students a Sci-Tech had quite a reputation but their brilliant results during their exams made their names known to everyone.

In particular, Jemma Simmons gained a name as being the first one to achieve an impossible 120% in Advanced Molecular Biology. She was the first cadet to get all the answers of the exam right. Professor Mason himself had congratulated her.

However, there were a few cadets who weren't as happy.

Jemma had to keep a straight face as she absently listened to Fitz' teasing when she saw Amy Carver and her friends stare at the results' sheet and complain about the fact that they had failed the exam because of Jemma's very high result.

The older cadets actually glared at her but she didn't feel disturbed by it. She'd be sharing a dorm with Fitz in a few months and she really didn't feel ashamed of what she'd done.

It was a very little payback for how she'd made Fitz feel.

“And you were seriously worried about that?” Fitz asked in disbelief as they went to lunch. “You're impossible.”

“Well... what can I say?” Jemma smiled a little bit smugly. “I just get a lot of satisfaction at  getting the best results.”

She was quite sure that Carver heard her, judging by her appalled look.

It took all of her willpower not to laugh.

-:-

Years later she realised that she'd done that because she was jealous... although it took a while to admit it to herself.

She confessed her shenanigans to Leo later on when they'd already gotten together and he'd stared at her, utterly flabbergasted. Skye and Bobbi had crowed at her over their drinks' glasses, saying that they knew that she had it in her.

When they were alone in his room at the Playground, hours later, her best friend kissed her warmly.

“ Thank you for having my back,” he whispered against her lips, hands wandering down her sides. “Even though, I can't believe that you keep saying that  _ I'm _ the jealous one.”

“Oh hush...” She retorted, blushing at his words and ministrations. “She was being awful: talking about you like-”

“-a fool who was out on a date without a clue of what he was doing,” he finished as they lied on his bed, side by side and he pressed kisses to her face. “A fool who was pretty much in love with his best friend and was trying to ignore it.”

“Then it was two of us,” she said, running a hand through his hair and admiring the loving look in his eyes. “And, yes, I was jealous. I admitted it: satisfied?”

He grinned devilishly.

“Not yet,” he whispered against her ear. Jemma let out a giggle as he twisted them around, making her lay on the mattress with him on top of her.

They both soon made other noises while they concentrated on each other.

Yes... they certainly  _ knew  _ how to be satisfied with the best results.

 


	5. Children and Costumes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Or How Fitz learns that embarrassing photos are not all that bad.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Real life is literally overwhelming and I have no time to write. So, these prompts are taking forever to be done. I hope to find some time in the near future... I miss writing and concocting ideas for FitzSimmons... :(
> 
> Here's the prompt for Day 5: Costume. Hopefully, this isn't too horrible to read and I haven't messed up with Scottish traditions. I have no knowledge about them... but I found a really adorable picture and had to tease Fitz.
> 
> Thanks to my Beta StarryDreamer01 who helped me edit this.

 

* * *

Leo was waiting for the water to boil in the kettle and kept his ears alert for any sound coming from the living room. He could hear the soft chattering coming from his mum and Jemma, occasionally disrupted by the small giggle of his best friend.

 _Why did Mum had to take out the old photo albums?_ He cursed silently.

It was a couple of days past New Years and he and Jemma were staying at his house for last days of holiday before they left to go back to their second year classes at MIT. His best friend had slowly wormed her way into his mother and sister's hearts during her second stay at his home and while the thing actually pleased him a lot, Leo wasn't _that_ happy when they'd allowed her to see all the pictures of his childhood. The three women trading moments and memories -where he usually ended up being the main character- was more than enough.

He had spent half the morning going through old albums; boxes littered the living room's floor and Jemma giggled over baby pictures, putting them in front of him to make comparisons.

“You were _so_ adorable, Leo,” she remarked.

“I was _not_!” He scoffed and she rolled her eyes.

“Come on... Look at these big blue eyes-” She held out a picture of him when he was about one. “-and springy curls -they're _still_ unruly as they were back then, by the way- and-” She looked at the picture and then at him with a pensive stare. “Look, you also have the same dimples when you smile.” She poked his cheek with a finger and he swatted her hand away.

“ _Oy!_ ” She rolled her eyes and ruffled his hair with a hand, making him move back on his knees.

“You know what? You're right,” she said, putting the picture carefully back in its place. “You're not adorable. You're an old grump.”

Leo rolled his eyes this time but couldn't help but smile when she laughed.

His sister was off to work and his mum moved from her room where she was finishing some work to the living room when she found some picture that would embarrass him.

Leo stepped back and peeked into the room from the kitchen's door. Jemma was sitting on the ground, pouring over an album and smiling as she saw the pictures.

He smiled slightly as he saw her so intent in knowing his past. She had been extremely gentle and tactful when she saw pictures of his father. She had said that he looked very kind and handsome and his mother had smiled. Leo had tried to ignore the strange lump in his throat when his mum had added that he was the one that most resembled his dad; just like he tried to ignore the soft smile that his best friend had shot him in understanding. Of course, Jemma would know how those words affected him...

However, his mum had been glad to share some old memories with her and so had Alison; he hadn't seen either of them laugh so freely in a while.

Perhaps he could withstand some teasing if it meant that they'd all be smiling like that..

He was musing about this as he turned off the kettle when he heard Jemma make a sound of surprise. Curious, he looked out from the door and found her standing and looking at one picture.

“Jemma?” He asked in confusion, approaching her. His best friend looked up and he caught a flash of something in her eyes before her expression turned serious. “What-?”

“You have been keeping things from me, Leo,” she stated in a sombre voice. He blinked.

“What?”

“I mean... I thought we were friends.” Jemma stepped back behind the couch, putting some distance between them as Leo got closer, utterly at a loss to what was happening.

“Jemma...” He didn't know what to say. “Of course, we're friends but I don't-”

“Honestly, Leo...” Jemma looked at him and he recognised the look in her eyes: mirth. “How could you keep _this_ from me??” And she showed him the picture before covering her mouth with her other hand to muffle her laughter.

Leo stared at the photograph. He blinked. Then he was sure that he turned pale and blushed in a very short amount of time because he felt the change on his face.

_Oh Mother of all things..._

Of all the pictures, she just had to find... _that_.

“Give that to me,” he said immediately, thrusting a hand forward but Jemma shook her head and held the picture closer to her chest.

“No,” She sidestepped to the other corner to the couch to put as much distance possible between them. “You'll probably hide or worse destroy it.”

“Jemma,” he said warningly, standing in front of the couch.

“I mean, look at you! All dressed up!”

“Jemma...”

“You look so cute! The white shirt and little black jacket.” She looked at the picture again, smiling widely. “I think that a red kilt would have looked good on you but the blue-green pattern works as well.” She blinked. “Oh… Unless those are your tartan’s colours!”

“ _Jemma_.”

“And the... that little white pouch is called a sporran, isn't it?” She asked, tilting her head at him.

“Yeah, that's the sporran,” he replied automatically and then shook his head. “Just give that blasted photo _back_.”

“No.”

“Come on...”

“Why were you dressed up like that? What was the occasion?”

“Apparently, my parents and sister's idea of a horrible moment for me to remember growing up,” Leo grumbled and moved forward to take the picture from Jemma's hand but she stepped back. “And don't try to distract me!”

“How old were you?” She asked, moving opposite him leaving the couch between them as a barrier.

“Two.” He lunged forward but she took a step back and moved out of his way. Leo huffed in indignation.

When he was a child, there had been a national festival of sorts and his parents thought that it would be a _brilliant_ idea to have him dressed in the full-Scotsman outfit: kilt, shirt, sporran and all. The whole family had worn the blue and green tartan in someway -mostly a ribbon or long cloth draped on the shoulder- but he was the only one in a kilt. His father had wanted him to wear his clan’s colours even though it wasn’t something necessary… while the rest of the family wasn’t obligated to do the same.

His sister would spring the memory at him and tell how adorable he had looked. Leo was sure that the photo had been destroyed; he had personally ripped it apart years ago after being teased but, apparently, there was another copy laying around.

And  _of course_ , Jemma had to find it.

“ _Why_ can't you just _give_ me the bloody picture?!”

“No way,” Jemma stuck her tongue at him and carefully tucked it in her jeans' pocket. “You'll destroy it!”

Leo stared and then narrowed his eyes.

Well then...

He lunged forward again and Jemma dashed on the other side of the couch, letting out a short laugh. They started doing an awkward game of tag with him stepping closer and her stepping away with the couch between them.

“Jemma, come on...” Leo pleaded and his best friend stuck her tongue at him as an answer. He huffed again and steeled his resolve.

This was _war_.

Leo faked going in one direction, making Jemma stumble and lunged forward. She attempted to move away but she was too late; he collided against her and they both fell on the couch in a tangle of limbs and muffled shouts.

“Leo!” Jemma squeaked as he fell on top of her. “Get off-”

“Give the photo back!” He cut through her protest, heaving himself on his elbows to look at her. She looked at him with wide amber eyes, hands on his chest as she tried to push him off her. She then narrowed her eyes, a teasing gleam in them and Leo knew that she meant trouble. “Wha-?” She moved her hands lightning fast to his sides and started tickling him. “No, Jemma -Hahahhahaha- _Stop_!”

His pleas were smothered by his own laughter and Jemma's giggles that soon turned into laughs when he retaliated and started tickling her waist.

“ _Leeoo_ !” She squealed, attempting to get his hands away from her as she laughed. “ _Stop!_ ”

“Will you give me the photo back?” He retorted, stopping but keeping his fingers at her waist. She looked pensive for a moment, hand moving to her back pocket and he grinned, relaxing and moving slightly away.

But then Jemma's fingers were on his belly again and... she was merciless.

“Jemma!” He said in a voice that was higher than his usual tone. His best friend just laughed, throwing her head back and tickling him. He did as much as he could too.

Amidst the laughs and pleas from both parties, Leo shifted too much to the side and before he realised what was happening, he was toppling down the couch; he did what anyone would do while falling and grabbed the first thing he could to keep steady.

Unfortunately, that was Jemma and he brought her down with him.

Leo cursed as his back hit the ground, grateful that he'd landed on the rug and not on the cold floor. His momentary relief was thwarted when Jemma landed on him.

“Oof,” he huffed out. “Jem-”

“S-Sorry!” She immediately heaved herself up. “Leo, are you alright?” She reached for the back of his head, searching for knots.

“I'm f-fine,” he mumbled, heaving himself up on his elbows.

 

“Do I even want to know what's happening?”

 

Leo turned his head and saw his sister standing behind him with a bemused look. He looked at Jemma, who was currently straddling him and suddenly realised what a picture they must be presenting to her.

_Right...._

Jemma had to be thinking on the same line because she blushed and jumped to her feet. Leo followed suit, rubbing the back of his head and hoping that his face would cool down.

“Soo...” Alison drawled teasingly, tossing her handbag on the couch. “Are you two finally-?”

“Ali...” Leo said warningly. His sister was constantly hinting that there was more than friendship between him and his best friend.

“It was just a bit of a squabble for- _this_!” Jemma hurried over to Alison, brandishing the damn photograph before Leo could stop her.

He sighed when his sister started giggling along with his friend and started telling her all the details about that day. He left for the kitchen when she started describing his outfit.

By the time that he heard the words _so cute_ and _adorable_ more than a handful of times and Alison calling for their mother, Leo wondered if he could manage to drown himself in the tea rather than face an afternoon with the three women in the house fawning over his two-year old self's Scotsman outfit.

 

Why did his parents even _do_ that to him?

He'd never do that to his own child.

-:-

“What do you think, baby girl? You like this?”

“You're quite the hypocrite, you know?”

 

Leo turned around and gaped at his wife.

“What now?” He asked in surprise. Jemma shook her head and approached him.

“What happened to the boy who complained about his parents dressing him up for a party and taking pictures?” She took the hanger in his hands and swayed the little monkey costume in front of him. “Aren't you planning the same thing now?” She glanced to the right to their baby girl, sitting in her stroller and staring at them.

Leo blushed. It wasn't his fault if the monkey costume was there and it was Kathleen's _exact_ size.

“Well, it's Halloween...” He said lamely.

“We never celebrated it!” Jemma laughed.

“We did!” He pointed at her. “You dragged me to the campus Halloween parties while we were at MIT.”

“Yes... but we rarely dressed up and left early because we got bored.”

“Well, we were the youngest there: most of the people ignored us.” Fitz remarked, recalling the events. “The party was usually an enormous drinking fest-”

“But, now that I think about it, we _did_ go to the Academy's Halloween party.”

“Urgh... I thought I had forgotten that,” Leo grimaced. “We dressed up as the Eleventh Doctor and the Tardis.”

“You made a lovely Tardis, sweetheart,” Jemma remarked with a grin. Leo groaned softly. They had bickered over their costumes and settled on that particular set after Jemma won at Roshambo. And then she won _again_ when they had to decided who would dress as whom.

Leo wondered why he still bothered to _try_ to win against her since she'd always won at Roshambo.

“Anyway...” He crouched down to unbuckle Kathleen and picked her up. “Don't you think that she'd look adorable in that?” He picked the upper part of the costume -a brown cap with round, soft ears- and gently put it on their baby's head. Kathleen wrinkled her nose in full-Jemma-fashion and touched the unknown object on her head with curiosity. She must have liked the texture though because she started pulling at it with both hands.

“See? She likes it!” Leo grinned as Kathleen babbled some jibberish and managed to knock the cap sideways. Jemma shook her head, smiling, and gently took the baby in her arms, straightening the cap on her head and bumping their noses together.

“It's kind of unfair that you side with Daddy on this, darling,” Jemma said softly, smiling at their baby girl. “It makes it hard for me to make a point.”

Kathleen stared at her mother with big blue eyes and beamed, putting her small hands on either sides of Jemma's neck and hugging her. Leo watched as Jemma laughed softly, hugging their baby back, cradling her in her arms as she whispered soft words to her.

He felt his heart melt at the sight of his two girls – his entire world really- looking so happy. There was also a hint of pride mingled into the joy he felt; it showed up many times during their little trip to the store whenever someone would approach them and compliment their baby and their little family.

He wondered if this feeling of happiness would ever diminish. He hoped not.

Leo smiled and approached his family, wrapping his arms around his wife who brushed a kiss to his cheek.

“So... We'll get her the costume?” He asked conversationally. He already knew that he'd take a picture of Kathleen with the monkey costume and keep it at his workbench in the lab...

Jemma rolled her eyes good naturedly.

“You'll start taking pictures and sending them around, won't you?” She asked and he grinned sheepishly. “Our families will love them,” he remarked.

“I'm quite sure that Skye and Bobbi will too..”

“So...?”

“Oh, well... I might agree,” Jemma grinned. “This might be the only way for you to have a monkey at home afterall...”

Leo huffed.

“I haven't still given up,” he said. “But I'll gladly accept what I'm been given now.” He picked the costume from her hands and headed off to pay.

“Hmm... If she complains about embarrassing pictures when she's older,” Jemma remarked airily. “I'll put all the blame on you.”

“Hopefully, she'll like monkeys too and will appreciate my effort.”

“Or she'll complain.”

“If she does, I'll talk her out of it.”

“Or I could show her your pictures as a child.”

Leo stopped in his tracks and spun around.

“You still have that picture??!” He gawked. “I thought-”

“-that your sister took it and put it away? No. I have it: had it since we were seventeen.” Jemma smiled teasingly. “Thinking about it, I think that it would look lovely on the mantelpiece next to our wedding picture.”

Leo couldn’t help the smile that made its way on his face as he recalled Jemma in her white dress and the thin cloth of blue-green tartan draped over her shoulder; identical to the one on his shoulder since he hadn’t worn a kilt.

Jemma grinned as she saw his _-surely-_ sappy expression.

“So… Is that a yes?” She asked.

“Jemma...”

“What? We’ll put them all next to Kathleen's new pictures.” Leo groaned.

“Why don't you have any embarrassing pictures?”

“I'm lucky?”

“This is so unfair.”

“Or my parents haven't told me anything and there's a box of secret pictures of me as a toddler that I don't know about.”

“I'm calling your mum and gran as soon as we get home,” Leo said firmly and paid for their purchases. “Then... we'll all have an embarrassing photo to be teased about.”

Jemma laughed and kissed his cheek as they left the store with Kathleen in her arms.

When they got back home and donned their baby with her new costume, Leo took a good dozen of photos of her and beamed as he looked at them.

His smile widened even more when he watched Jemma and Kathleen play together, laughing loudly.

Baby pictures and costumes didn't seem so bad now...

* * *

 

And here's the picture that created this whole thing...

 

 

Grumpy baby-Fitz ,huh?


	6. Our Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the prompt for Day 6: Games. I had a completely different thing in mind before this came out... Hope you like it. This goes through the three seasons.
> 
> Please, read the note at the end too. ;)
> 
> Thanks to my Beta StarryDreamer01 who helped me edit this.

* * *

They had started playing chess on their free nights after they had found and old wooden set in a cupboard in their dorm's common room. Since the other students didn't seem to even notice it and after finding that it didn’t belong to anyone they'd taken it to their shared room and played when they weren't studying.

They soon realised that chess was the _most_ and the _least_ appropriate game for them because they just read each other too well. They enjoyed playing, liked calculating all the possible permutations in the game and loved the mental stimulation of trying to best each other but it always took them ages to get to the end of a game. The last time they had played, it had taken them countless hours of bickering and almost two days (they left the board and pieces on a corner of the table) to declare a tie.

When Fitz had mentioned this to his sister, she sent him an old game to give them something more mindless to spend their free time.

But they never stopped with chess. It was their thing.

 

_-25 years old, The Bus-_

Game nights on the Bus became a weekly occurrence whenever the Team wasn't on a mission. Apparently, all the members minus May had some board game packed and they were all stacked in a cupboard in the lounge room to be accessible to everyone.

At the beginning, it had been just Skye and FitzSimmons that would indulge in some good natured competition.

 

However, tonight, it seemed that selecting the game was particularly complicated.

 

“Why not Scrabble?” Jemma asked, from her seat on the couch next to Fitz.

“Because you win every time?” Skye retorted with a raised brow. “Did you memorize a dictionary while you were getting all your PhDs or-?”

“I keep telling her that for years,” Fitz piped in, munching on some popcorn. Jemma slapped his arm.

“Fitz!”

“It's true! You know the most unusual words-”

“That's called reading!”

“Woah, time out!” Skye put a hand between them before things escalated and Jemma huffed sinking in her seat slightly. Fitz, on the other hand, looked at the hacker with... with _that_ look again.

Jemma tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach as she saw her best friend's interested gaze towards their newest teammate. She tried to see it as a good thing; as a friend she should be happy that he was willing to know another girl, right? Especially if the girl was a delight like Skye.

The clenching in her chest didn't agree.

“Jenga then?” Fitz said. “We could-”

“Nope,” Skye shot his suggestion down. “Playing Jenga with you is like Scrabble with Simmons: one-sided victory for the scientist.”

Fitz' shoulders sagged a bit. Jemma rubbed his arm in solidarity and he smiled at her.

They settled for a game of Monopoly in the end, with Coulson confessing to having a vintage edition. Their supervising officer won the game despite Skye's attempts to cheat and Ward keeping her in line.

Jemma couldn't help but feel a warm feeling as she spent her time with her teammates. They'd been together for a little more than a month and she had come to like this little family and its different members. She stole a glance at Fitz who was looking at the board with his intense blue eyes and smiled slightly: he seemed to like it here too.

As they all got up, leaving for their bunks, Simmons saw Fitz putting away his empty popcorn bowl in the kitchenette and waited for him. She saw their old chess board peeking through a corner of a cupboard and picked it up: the lacquered wooden surface was wearing off but it was still solid and the pieces were still all there.

She and Fitz had brought it from their apartment in Boston, agreeing that bringing a game could help them pass their free time (if they had any). They had opted for chess rather than other games because they didn't want to seem young. Being child geniuses had always put them in a position where people underestimated them and they didn't want to start their field adventure with that label.

Jemma smiled slightly, recalling how she had packed Jenga with her belongings, knowing that Fitz would love to have a game every now and then and thinking about all the ways in which they could covertly play without having the others see.

He had had the same idea. She remembered how she had found the box of Scrabble on her bed, the week after their mission in Peru. Fitz had been leaning against her door, smiling slightly and she had beamed at him before retrieving the box of Jenga from her cupboard and grinned at his happy expression.

“I thought you wanted to go sleep.” Jemma turned around and found Fitz by her side. He eyed the chess board in her hands. “If we start that, we won't know _if_ we're going to sleep.”

“My mind was just wandering...” She remarked, tilting her head to a side. “But since we're here-”

“-we could start?” He finished with a grin and she smiled.

They sat on the couch again, quickly preparing the board between them. As she automatically set her pieces, a sudden realisation made her stop and she froze as she was positioning the white queen.

“When did we start doing this?” She asked and Fitz looked at her in confusion.

“What? Chess?” He frowned slightly. “You know that: first year at MIT when we found this set.”

“No, I meant... When did we decide that I got the white pieces and you the black ones,” She looked at him. “I can't seem to remember...”

“Er...” Fitz looked thoughtful, toying with the black bishop in his hand. “Still at MIT? I think we took turns the first times but then-”

“-we roshamboed, right!” She now remembered the exact moment.

“Yeah and you always won,” Fitz rolled his eyes as she smirked slightly. “I think that since you always chose white, we just stuck to having default colours after a while. I also think that we're too busy trying to win a game in a few hours and not days than bothering to little things like who takes the black or white pieces.”

Jemma nodded, moving her first pawn and looked at him thoughtfully. He was right: they had decided once and then stuck to that.

He stared back.

“What?” Fitz asked, tilting his head.

“Do you want to switch?” She asked in return and he raised an eyebrow. “For a change? I'm always the one that starts.”

“No... I'm fine like this,” he gestured to the set pieces. “I'm used to playing black: sort of consider them my army.” She smiled slightly. “Besides.. I'm used to you having the first move.”

“Oh so you plan your strategy from what I do?”

“Don't we always?”

They played for a while, talking and bickering, adding pieces to their sides when they managed to take a piece and trying to outdo each other.

It was such a normal thing for them -this knowing what move will come next- and it also expanded to everything else they did.

Jemma looked up and saw Fitz staring at the board with a furrowed expression. She failed to suppress a smile and he noticed.

“What's got into you tonight?” He asked, making his move. “You're distracted and, as a consequence, you're distracting _me_.”

“Might be my strategy to win,” she teased.

“No way... you're too prim and proper,” She made an affronted noise and he grinned. “Seriously... I'm completely sure that you won't try to cheat to win. We've done this too many times.”

“We did, didn't we?” Jemma carefully looked at the board, thinking through a few moves ahead before moving her knight. “I'm glad that we can still do this here.”

“Makes me think of home,” Fitz added softly and she looked at him. “It's nice to have something that feels...familiar.”

She smiled, feeling something warm seep in her chest. She'd been terrified that he'd make up his mind at some point and decide that field work was not for him.

She was scared that he'd leave and she wouldn't know what to do. Fitz would never ask her to leave with him but would she want to stay without him if the situation occurred?

She didn't know and she didn't _want_ to know the answer.

“Hey...” Jemma looked up and saw Fitz staring at her. “Everything alright?”

She smiled.

“Yes,” she said with a nod. “Everything's fine.” As long as they stayed liked this. Together.

He smiled back.

 

-:-

 

_-26 years old, The Playground-_

 

It was oddly quiet in the common room.

Everyone had gone off to their rooms and the only ones remaining were FitzSimmons and Skye. The three had been sticking closer together ever since they got back from Puerto Rico but it was rare for them to be totally alone. There was usually Hunter or Bobbi hanging around or Mack playing with this video games.

Tonight, it was only them. Fitz glanced at the empty room and thought that it would be a perfect moment for the three of them to talk and understand how to find a way to handle Skye's powers and keep it secret from the others.

But it wasn't the right moment.

The three of them had tried to do something normal and Skye had suggested playing Scrabble after seeing the box in one of the cupboards. It had seemed an innocuous idea at first, but a few minutes into the game they realised that it just triggered memories.

Memories of their old Team on the Bus and of Ward and of who they thought he was. Then it made them think of Trip and how he'd laugh when Skye would make up a word or just look encouraging when Fitz forced his mind to remember a word.

Skye had stood up after ten minutes and had shot them a watery smile, saying that she wanted to check something on her laptop and had sat on the couch in silence.

Fitz had suggested playing chess to Jemma when he caught her staring at the hacker with a concerned look and she had accepted with a small smile. He had hoped that the game might bring her some calm; perhaps, the familiar dynamics between them could soothe her.

He stole a glance at Jemma, who was staring at the chess board between them, eyes less clear and less focused than usual. He fought the desire to take her hand and find a way to comfort her; he'd do it if they were in one of their rooms or if he didn't feel so tense. He didn't want her to notice that his hands were twitching again since he'd barely slept in days and his nerves were strained; he didn't want her to worry, not now that she seemed to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders and wouldn't allow him to share it with her.

He was so worried for her. She was different from the girl he'd befriended so many years ago: the one that loved adventure and wanted to learn more about everything. All their missions, near-death experiences and her months alone undercover in Hydra had hardened her and she seemed to have lost her ability to see the world with curious eyes. The girl that he'd fallen in love with was changing...

He was scared for her: he had heard her talking about stopping the powered people, terminating the alien anomaly...

This wasn't her.

She was scared. And she felt guilty.

He didn't know how to help her...

He'd managed to calm her almost hysteric cries when they'd seen Skye's blood analysis; he'd got her to understand that despite everything that had happened, this was _Skye_ and they had to help her.

But Fitz knew that it wasn't all over. He had to find a way to make Jemma understand that they didn't have to fix Skye but just help her adjust. Just like he did after his brain damage.

“It's your turn.”

Fitz looked up, startled from his thoughts, and found Jemma looking at him, her amber eyes warmer than before. She smiled slightly, her lips curving at the corners in something that was a ghost of her usual smile. But he couldn't complain; this was better than seeing her desperate expression after she'd brought back Trip's body.

“Ok,” he replied and looked at the chess board. He studied the pieces, his mind slower than usual in calculating all the moves and his tiredness triggering the side effects of his aphasia.

He picked a rook, ready to move it but it slipped out of his trembling fingers; without looking up and ignoring the rush of embarrassed heat on his face, Fitz picked the piece and put it on its spot on the board.

He didn't look up at Jemma, didn't dare to see if she'd notice his slip and quickly gestured for her to make her move.

But Jemma Simmons wasn't stupid and even if she was facing some shattering changes in her life, she would always notice the changes around her.

Her hand moved forward, past the board, and gently settled on his hand on the table. Fitz looked up and saw the soft concern in her eyes; part of him was warmed by it but the other felt irked.

He'd been battling with these two sides ever since she'd left for Hydra and he still didn't know how to adjust to both.

“Are you-?” She asked softly and he withdrew his hand from hers, looking up sharply.

“I'm fine,” he whispered quickly and he hated to see how her eyes clouded.

 

-

 

Jemma bit back a retort to tell him that he was lying and nodded slowly, looking at the chess board. They were both struggling since she came back from her mission undercover and she didn't know how to fix it. Their relationship -both work and emotional- was on thin ice: one wrong step and it would break and they both knew it.

He knew why she had left: she had told him, defying Coulson's orders afterall. Jemma was the only person who had the knowledge and background to infiltrate Hydra's lab and she was the best scientist on base. Fitz, still struggling with the aftermath of being in a coma for days, couldn't go with her and he had begrudgingly accepted it.

Even though she knew that it was dangerous, Jemma would have given anything for both of them to go undercover. She wouldn't have felt so lonely and scared for those three months.

But she knew that he had to stay back not only because he had to help the team but because he had to fully recover. His whole condition, his fighting with the symptoms of aphasia and amnesia were all her fault.

And she was also hindering his recovery. When she'd tearfully told him that, maybe, her leaving might help him recover faster, his first reaction was to retort that it wasn't the truth.

It had taken her the better part of the night to convince him of the opposite. And when she left, she knew that he'd realise the truth behind her words and it pained her heart.

Now that she was back, she was overjoyed to see him, ecstatic to see his progress and at the same time, she wondered if having her here was really the best for him.

She loved him and the thought of being the reason of his pain was unbearable to her...

“I'm sorry,” Fitz' hand moved back to cover hers, rough fingertips caressing her skin in a familiar fashion that made her heart warm. “I didn't mean to-”

“It doesn't matter,” she whispered back. “I know that- I just shouldn't have asked...”

“Jemma..” He tangled their fingers together and squeezed them. “You _can_ ask. I'm just... We're just stressed out. Everything will be fine.”

She wanted to believe him. She truly did but she also knew that their entire world was shifting before their eyes. And they could lose the people they cared about.

Jemma couldn't get the image of Trip's broken body from her head: it brought tears to her eyes and a wave of guilt for not having prevented his untimely demise.

And now, Skye was...

 

“Why do you always play chess?”

 

Jemma turned to her side with Fitz mimicking her and they found themselves looking at Skye who was staring at them. She smiled slightly, eyeing their entwined fingers and Jemma failed to hide a blush. She glanced at her partner and saw the red tips of his ears but his hand didn't leave hers; he held her even tighter.

They'd always been extremely private of their relationship, keeping it under the wraps from everyone for fear of any repercussion; mostly their ingrained fear of SHIELD's Section 17 even though their agency and its rules didn’t exist anymore. Skye was the only one that actually knew of their relationship since the start, before the rise of Hydra and she'd been surprisingly good at keeping it secret. The others didn't know -or if they knew they didn't voice it loudly.

“Come again?” Fitz asked.

“I asked: why do you guys always play chess?” Skye shifted in her seat, getting more comfortable. “You always spend hours on that board: talking, bickering, moving pieces and then keeping quiet.”

“It's a good game,” he replied, catching Jemma's eye. “We've been playing since we were kids.”

“Well, yeah... I know that it's like _the_ nerd game.” Skye's eyes almost shone with her usual mirth and Jemma couldn't help but smile slightly as Fitz scoffed.

“We play because it's something that we've been doing since we first met,” Jemma stated. “There's... a familiarity in chess that other games don't have.”

“Yeah?” Skye looked at her in interest. “Isn't it always the same thing, though? You should be bored by now..”

Jemma shook her head and looked at Fitz who was staring at her.

“Chess can look as a series of moves that are always the same,” she said slowly. “But, if you look carefully, it's actually a permutation of an exponentially large number of moves.” Skye looked at her curiously. “The moves and the outcome might be always the same but it's the way you play that makes the difference.”

“We've beaten each other a handful of times,” Fitz admitted, smiling slightly. “We always seem to guess the other's move.”

“Oh.. shocker,” Skye deadpanned and they both smiled.

“I think I really like chess because it reminds me of something...” Jemma paused in her sentence, making the other two look at her. “It reminds me of normalcy.” _Of home._ “It's something that we can start and finish even if it takes days or weeks.” And if she loses, she can start over without regrets; only with more resolve to do better and without fearing to lose something important. “That's why I like it.” She looked at Fitz and smiled slightly. “It reminds me of old times.” Times when having different opinions didn't deem to put a wedge between them.

Fitz smiled, squeezing her hand again. Skye just looked at them with a glint of sorrow in her eyes before smiling as well.

“Yeah... It's good to have something that reminds you of happier times.”

They fell silent and she and Fitz got back to the game, trying not to notice how Skye's eyes had gone glassy.

When they left to go to sleep, hours later, Jemma stopped Fitz from leaving after he walked her to her room. He'd spent some nights with her, holding her close when the nightmares plagued her mind after Trip's death. He looked at her carefully, eyes asking a silent question and she just nodded. When they both got into her room and slipped into bed, fully clothed, Jemma moved just enough to kiss him softly, trying to convey her feelings in the small gesture.

She didn't know what could happen but she wanted Fitz to know that they would be always together. In one way or another, they wouldn't be torn apart.

 

_-27 years old, the Playground-_

 

The lab was quiet and Fitz was grateful for his solitude as he slumped against a chair and sighed. He ran a hand across his face as he tried to make  sense out of the mess that his life had become.

There were simulations running on the screens of his workspace along with multiple windows with relevant information regarding the monolith, the rams-head cult and Hydra.

On his tablet, he had a few windows open with the information regarding Will Daniels.

Fitz knew that the latter was not necessarily relevant for his work and that it was just pure torture to him but he didn't shut them closed.

He left the photos - _his_ face actually- because he needed a reminder of why he was doing this.

 _He_ had been there when Jemma was stranded on another planet. _He_ had protected her. _He_ had given her hope when she had none.

Will had, not him.

And Jemma now loved _him_.

Her admission had just cracked the little sphere of hope in his chest, making it melt away slowly. They'd argued in the lab days ago, finally venting their feelings: his anger and sorrow and her confusion and sadness.

Fitz knew that Jemma loved him; he knew that his best friend (his girlfriend really but should he still call her that? Would she want him to?) loved him deeply and wouldn't have given up unless she was in dire circumstances.

He should be grateful for Will to have been there otherwise Jemma might have just lost all hope and died if she'd been alone. That thought was what made him be sane and work.

At the same, the thought of _him_ touching Jemma, kissing her and being the object of her affection made him want to wretch.

Fitz got up, fighting the urge to throw something across the lab and walked to the corner of the lab where he had left some of the books regarding the old cult.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw their old chess board on the table, some pieces piled at the corners. He had forgotten that it was there.

When Jemma had started to come into the lab without wincing, he'd suggested setting the board and playing a game, hoping that she'd find the activity soothing. It had worked and he'd been elated when she'd voluntarily came into the lab and sat in the corner, the most quiet in the lab, waiting for him.

They had started this game weeks ago, shortly after she had told him what had happened during her six months on that planet. After she'd told him about _him_.

They had tried to ignore the elephant in the room and had tried to work on normally, ignoring the true reason of their work. Slowly, they were playing alone: Fitz would move a piece when she was not there and Jemma did the same. And yet, they still played the game.

He wondered if they were only struggling to let go, stalling a moment that was meant to come and holding on to a small thing like-

Fitz stared at the board and felt his chest constrict painfully. He'd been the last to move: his knight was in front of a line of pawns and Jemma hadn't made her move yet.

That had been three days ago and she had been in the lab every day for hours.

He wondered why he was so stunned about this... She had other things in her head, other priorities... _Him_.

She wouldn't bother to little things such as a chess game. He understood that a man's life was at stake and, even though they didn't know how involved he was with Hydra (or _if_ he was involved at all -Fitz had to give him the benefit of the doubt, begrudgingly), they had to get him back.

Maybe, it was just him that was holding on to that chess board.

They had kissed for the first time since she got back when they had argued. Fitz had meant that kiss to be a goodbye while Jemma had seemed to be wanting for them to go on.

He wondered if she'd realised that despite their feelings, their relationship was too compromised...

The cosmos was against them.

Tears began to form in his eyes and he brushed them away angrily.

  
They were cursed. No hope could ever withstand that.

 

With solemn finality, Fitz opened the table's drawer and with a single swipe of his arm, he pushed the board and all the pieces inside.

As he watched the mess of black and white against the wooden checkered board, he wondered if he hadn't just tossed his own shattered heart inside the drawer and shut it away too.

 

-

 

Jemma walked into the lab very early  the next morning. Sleep had been a foreign concept to her ever since she’d gotten back and in the past weeks she could only manage a few hours of shut eye before jolting back awake.

Her nightmares had multiple scenarios: the medpod, the sunless planet and other terrifying places that her mind could conjure. But the characters were always the same. There was Will on the other planet, telling her to flee as the nameless entity attacked him or a gunshot took him down.

And there was Fitz.

Jemma swallowed the familiar lump in her throat as she approached her workspace.

There was Fitz drowning in the sea, ninety feet underwater after saving her life giving her the oxygen; there was Fitz perishing during a mission against powerful Inhumans, his body crumbling to dust under the effect of terragenesis; there was Fitz dying under the hands of faceless terrorists as he tried to find clues to activate the portal (Bobbi had told her and Jemma had never thought that he could have been _so_ reckless and stupid.. and brave and selfless. He did it for her and never told her anything); Fitz dying as he tried to bring her back through the portal, the entity getting to him or, the worst scenario of all, Fitz leaving, walking away from her. Forever.

That nightmare had been the one that made her wake up with a start, his name on her lips and tears streaming down her face.

She knew that he wouldn't leave: she knew him too well. He was too good and wouldn't leave until they found a way to get Will back; he was too stubborn and loyal to abandon SHIELD and their teammates; he was too selfless and wouldn't leave her even if it meant breaking his heart.

Jemma sighed as she rubbed her temple with a hand, easing the constant ache she had as she attempted, once again, to find a solution to all of this.

There wasn't one.

Whatever she did, one of the two men would suffer. She held her head in her hands as she thought that, right now, they were both in pain because of her.

Jemma wanted to cry and scream. She wanted someone to help her find a way to get out of all this without hurting two of the people she cared the most about right now.

She hadn't meant to give up hope but seeing the portal close and the bottle shatter had broken her last strength. She wouldn't go home again; she wouldn’t see her family or friends again.

She would never see Fitz again.

That thought had shattered her and she'd lost it. If Will hadn't been there to hold her, she didn't know what she would have done to herself. Hearing Will tell her that she had made him believe in hope by appearing on the planet had made her stop from falling into an abyss from which she would have never resurfaced.

Kissing him had been her only tether for not letting go. She'd lost everything and everyone but she could still have him, be with him on that hopeless planet.

She hadn't meant to love him either... but she did. She couldn't explain the extent of her feelings for the stranded astronaut: affection, gratitude.. love. Yes, there was love too.

And then she was back and there was Leo. No, Fitz. He was Fitz again.

She hadn't called him Leo since she told him the truth of what had happened on the planet. She couldn't bring herself to call him so familiarly -as she used to do when they were kids, only friends, and how she used to after they got together. She couldn't do it without expecting him to be hurt yet again. She was hurting him from the moment she got back and she couldn't stand it...

She loved him more than she could ever quantify. He had been her constant beacon of hope as she struggled to find a way back from the other planet.

She had been talking to his photograph for months, trying to keep his memory clear in her mind, talking loudly and desperately hoping that he'd answer somehow.

He was her hope.

And she'd given up on him only when her last chance to reach him had shattered against a wall of rocks. Yet, she'd given up while he didn't.

 

“ _We're cursed.”_

 

His words echoed through her mind, the sorrow in them piercing her heart.

Jemma walked away from her workspace, recalling how he'd kissed her: he'd seemed so desperate and almost expected her to recoil from him. It had been the first time they'd truly kissed since she came back. And as he stepped back, breathing heavily and looking as though it would be the last time that they'd ever be that close to each other, Jemma knew that whatever happened, her heart belonged to him.

Her eyes strayed to his workspace and she saw the simulations still running on the screens. He was so loyal and good that he was helping her bring Will back even though he was hurting.

Jemma had kissed him softly, pouring her feelings in the kiss and hoping that he'd understand what she didn't know how to explain in words.

 

But he hadn't.

 

“ _We're cursed.”_

 

Her hands flew to her neck, fingertips digging into the skin as she recalled Fitz' sorrowful face, his blue eyes clouded and his voice thick with defeat.

He was losing hope.

Jemma walked to the opposite side of the lab, a corner where they stored some supplies and the books that Fitz had found about the cult. It was also the only secluded and work-free spot where Fitz had set their chess board. He had been so sweet to set it up in that quiet spot in the lab, allowing her to get used to their working environment's hustle without getting nervous.

It was her turn and she'd been meaning to make a move in days but something had always occurred; Fitz or somebody had been around and she couldn't sit there and think in peace. It wasn't only a game for her now; she had a feeling that this particular chess game was linked to her and Fitz. The longer it lasted, the longer they were bound to move their pieces, the more chances they had to talk at some point, and make things right.

They hadn't talked much since their kisses. They'd been briefed by Coulson and done some work together in the lab but their exchanges had been quite impersonal. They were walking on eggshells around each other and Jemma hated it.

She'd do anything to-

She stopped in her tracks and stared at the empty table. She looked around, wondering if some tech had moved it elsewhere but all she could see were file-filled desks.

Jemma was sure that she'd seen the board last night: she had walked past it and it had been there. She clearly remembered the pieces and how they were positioned.

She tried to remember who was in the lab when she left for her room. It was past the usual working hours and the other lab techs had left. Then who-?

_Fitz._

She felt something like a punch in the stomach when she recalled that he had been sitting at his workspace, working. She'd bid him goodnight and he'd waved at her.

He had been alone in the lab afterwards. Why did he-?

Had he moved it? Put it away in some other place and then told her about it? Chess was a game, yes, but it was _their_ game. They always finished a game no matter how long it took and they'd always try to outwit each other.

She walked to the table and opened the drawer and she saw the chessboard thrown inside, the pieces scattered messily all over the place.

Jemma had to bite her lip, eyes filling up with tears as she saw how he had thrown everything away.

 

He was giving up.

 

Fitz was giving up on the game. On her. On _them_.

 

Jemma gasped, tears trickling down her face as she thought of their fight. His face had crumbled when she'd admitted that she loved Will and then he'd started to speak about him, saying that he understood why she'd fall for him. He wasn't even angry: just defeated.

 

Why couldn't he see himself as she did? Why couldn't he see that he was strong and smart, that he gave her hope when she had none? Why did he think that Will was better and that it was natural for her to fall for him?

Jemma Simmons was riddled with guilt and confused emotions towards a man who had helped survive on another planet and had lived there alone for fourteen years. She wanted to help him come back because she cared for him and she owed him that much.

But despite everything, despite her feelings for Will, Jemma loved Leo Fitz. She would always love him more than anyone and that was one thing she'd always be sure about herself.

Ten years of friendship, years of unknown feelings that they'd both suppressed until they finally decided to admit it and way too many near-death situations wouldn't change that.

Jemma still believed that they'd have their cottage in Scotland... Perthshire, Glasgow... wherever as long as he was there by her side.

She didn't want to lose him. Not now that she'd finally been reunited to him. Not when they were close again.

She'd lost hope once and she swore that it would never happen again.

 

Jemma wiped the tears from her face and decided to be selfish. She carefully picked the board and put it on the table again.

 

-

 

Fitz stared at the chess board, completely baffled to find it back on the table when he walked into the lab after breakfast. Moreover, it seemed that it was exactly as it had been last night: the pieces were returned to their exact positions.

Had he dreamed of shoving it into the drawer? He was pretty sure that he hadn't...

He approached the table, trying to understand what had happened when he noticed a difference. Wasn't that piece-?

 

“It's your turn.”

 

He spun around and saw Jemma standing near a shelf. Fitz swallowed dryly and looked around: the lab was empty.

“Jemma...” He said slowly and gestured to the board. “What...?” There was a thought in his head, something that almost seemed too good to be true -too hopeful- and he didn't give in to it. He wasn't sure if he'd manage to hope again and have everything crushed another time.

Jemma stared at him. He couldn't help but notice that she looked tired: she mustn't have slept last night. Did she have another nightmare? He felt a rush of guilt at the thought that she must have woken up alone and scared after her mind had conjured some horror for her to relive and he hadn't been there for her.

He usually held her during the night, helping her calm down or just holding her close so that she'd sleep peacefully. He had stopped after she'd told him of Will, not wanting to impose...

There was also a part of him that felt ill at the thought that _he_ must have held her close on the other planet too.  She’d mentioned that they’d kissed and slept close afterall...

Jemma approached him slowly, hands in two tight fists and she bit her lip in a typical nervous habit. He steeled himself for whatever news she was going to tell him, hoping that he’d be strong enough to not show too much emotion in front of her.

He had to be strong, for her. And for himself. They might not be able to be what they wanted to be, might not be together again (the thought alone made him want to rip his heart out of his chest) but they were still best friends.

It might take time but he’d go back and be happy with having that relationship with her. It was better than losing her completely.

Jemma stared at him intently, amber eyes taking  him in and he tried to stay calm under her scrutiny. However, something must have been clearly visible on his face because he saw a flurry of emotions dance in her eyes: sorrow, pain, guilt and then, unexpectedly, resolution.

“I'm not giving up,” she said firmly and he blinked. _What?_

“E-excuse me...?” He stammered, unsure of what she was talking about. Did she mean the chess game.. or..?

“I know that I gave up on you when I was on Maveth,” she said softly, eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I know that I should have had more faith in you-”

“Jemma, no... you don’t-” He approached her immediately, unable to stand her broken tone. “You were stranded on that planet, with no known possibility of whether you'd come back.” He couldn’t even imagine what she had gone through. “You shouldn’t say that...”

“And I know that everything is just so... complicated now,” Jemma didn't seem to hear him. She just stared at him as she slowly walked closer. “I... I can't-” Her fingers curled around his wrist, warm against his skin.

“You don't have to,” he whispered, looking down. He felt as though they'd gone back to when they were younger. When every touch was cautious and drenched with feelings that couldn't be expressed.

She leaned forward until her forehead was touching his chin and he felt her tremble slightly. Fitz wanted to comfort her. Months ago, he'd have brushed his lips against her face, now he adjusted to what he'd done for years and hugged her. He heard her exhale and was enveloped by the scent of lavender that she always seemed to carry. It reminded him of home.

“Leo...” Her whisper pierced his heart. The familiarity of his name, something that she hadn't been using lately, probably for his sake, made him ache with longing.

“Everything will be fine, Jemma,” he murmured against her hair. He hoped that his words seemed firmer than how he’d heard them. He felt her finger tighten against his wrist.

“Don't give up,” she pleaded softly. “Please, don’t...” She stepped out of his embrace and looked at him with watery eyes.

 

-

 

Fitz stared at her and Jemma's heart thumped in her chest.

Would he listen to her? Would he want to give her - _them_ \- another chance despite the pain that they'll surely be subjected to?

Would he still want to go through all of this just for her?

Jemma stared back as he turned slightly, running a hand through his hair. She wanted to kiss him and hold him close, ease the lines of concern from his face with her fingers and share some of the pain he must be feeling.

She'd do anything for him.

Restoring her hope and never giving up again was just a start.

Jemma saw him move again, turning towards the chess table. He looked at it intently and, for a moment, she wondered if he'd just thrash it into the drawer again, telling her that there wasn't any chance left for them and giving her a reason to truly think that they were cursed and never meant to be.

He moved and swiftly picked a piece -a pawn- and dragged it to another box. She watched with bated breath as he studied the board and then looked at her. His eyes were flashing with emotions and he looked on the verge of tears but he managed a small trembling smile.

“It's your turn,” he said softly.

Jemma nodded fervently, tears cascading down her cheeks as she moved a hand to cover her mouth, muffling the sob of relief that escaped her.

They were not broken.

Bent, bruised and battered, yes, but _not_ broken.

They wouldn't allow the cosmos to break them.

 

-:-

  


_-Years later-_

 

“When you said that you wanted to play a game, I really didn't have this in mind.”

“Oh, _Fitz_...”

 

He grinned as he flopped down on the armchair next to the window and looked outside. It was raining heavily and the cobbled streets of Florence were almost empty. They had meant to walk around and see some shops and go sightseeing before going to the Uffizzi museum in the afternoon.  Given the downpour, they were stranded in their hotel room for a few hours.

Fitz was snapped out of his musing when something unceremoniously sat on his lap and snuggled against his chest. He grinned as Jemma draped her legs over his knee and rested her head under his chin.

“Comfortable?” He asked, moving his hands so that he was loosely hugging her.

“Very much,” she replied softly, smiling at him and brushed a kiss to his jaw.

“I thought that we were going to play chess,” He eyed the board laying on the small table in front of him. “I think that you're the only person in the entire universe who would bring a chessboard in her suitcase-”

“-during her honeymoon?” Jemma grinned, sitting slightly straighter and arranging the chess pieces on the board with one hand. “Did you forget that I-?”

“-excel at preparation? No, didn't forget that,” He grinned, holding her against his chest as he sat up. “So you expected a rainy morning and brought our game along?”

Jemma turned to look at him with a fond smile.

“It really is our game, isn't it?” She remarked, caressing his cheek with a hand, skin scraping softly against his stubble. “It has followed us everywhere.”

“We never stopped bringing it along since MIT.” Fitz looked at the battered board and smiled. They'd played hundreds of games on it.

“We'll have to find a table to set it up once we get a house,” Jemma said. “I think a nice wooden table next to the fireplace would be nice...”

Fitz' heart inflated as he heard her words. She'd been mentioning this often in the past months; she talked about _their_ house, a place that they'd arrange to their liking and where they'd live for the rest of their lives. He didn't know when they'd find or live in this place but they'd talked about it.

All they knew was that it would be in Scotland...

Fitz nuzzled against her neck.

“Sounds nice,” he whispered and teased her skin with his lips. “Might also have a table where I can demolish you at Jenga.” He grinned when she scoffed.

“Careful...” She warned. “I'll force you into playing Scrabble every night and beat you.”

“Alright... I'll stick to chess then...” He breathed softly, taking in her scent. “At least, we'll both have a chance to win.”

They slowly set the board together as she sat on his lap. Fitz moved the board so that they both could move easily. He gestured for her to start and she nodded.

“I have a little idea for today though...” Jemma grinned at him and he arched a brow. “ A modification to the rules so that we'll be done when the rain stops...” She moved forward until their lips were almost touching. “Every time a piece is taken-” She brushed her lips to his. “-the winner gets a kiss.”

Fitz grinned.

“I'm game.”

“I knew it.”

Maybe little changes to their game wouldn't be bad...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my series, FitzSimmons both find out that Skye has powers after Puerto Rico and try to keep it secret from the Team, they both have different opinions on the matter of powers and Inhumans (like in canon) but they talk more and there's less tension between them.
> 
> Moreover, Fitz knew that Jemma was leaving for Hydra: she secretly told him despite Coulson's orders. There will be a fic explaining this: I promise!
> 
> Please, leave a review... :)

**Author's Note:**

> Please, leave a comment... :)


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